when the butterfly burns Wen-Yi Li is a dark, lyrical, and deeply affecting adult debut. The novel is woven with fantasy, folklore, and the lingering scars of colonialism. At once mythical and intimate, it derives its strength from both the disturbing atmosphere it creates and the raw emotion at its core, cementing Lee’s voice in both fantasy and historical fiction. Let’s talk about it.
in when the butterfly burnswe are transported to Singapore in 1972. A newly independent city of immigrants struggles for power in a rapidly modernizing world. But the gangs that inhabit this city are the last conduits of their ancestral gods, and the dark alleys in which they fight are the last places where magic has been assimilated and not legally excluded. We follow Adeline Shiou, a lonely high school girl. For her, there is nothing more powerful than the fire she can summon at hand. After a series of harrowing events, Adeline tracks down a girl with a butterfly tattoo that matches the one burned into her mother’s skin, and soon discovers that she is not as alone as she thought.
throughout when the butterfly burnsthere is an image of fire, an element that seems to haunt every page. Fire consumes, destroys, and purifies. Through this cycle, Lee explores memory, family, and survival. The butterfly of the title embodies fragility and transformation, with echoes of the past and the idea of the possibility of rebirth. But as Lee demonstrates with remarkable precision, change comes at a cost and often leaves scars that never go away.
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At its core, when the butterfly burns Stories about the weight of history passed down through generations, the cost of keeping secrets, the burdens we carry without our consent, and how they survive despite someone’s efforts to end or erase them. Lee sets this novel in a richly imaginative world that seems timeless. Readers are drawn into communities scarred by violence. There, rituals and traditions provide both protection and danger. A place where the supernatural permeates everyday life with quiet inevitability.
one of when the butterfly burns‘s most appealing quality is its lyrical strength, which feels very poetic. The writing twists and shimmers like fire. A fantastic yet detailed atmosphere. In the hallway, attention is drawn to every detail: the flicker of wings, the sizzle of ashes, the weight of silence. This careful attention to rhythm and imagery ensures that even the harrowing moments remain hauntingly beautiful, and their resonance remains unsettling long after the story is over.
characters of when the butterfly burns Carefully rendered and richly displayed. Some appear and disappear temporarily, while others continue to play an important role from beginning to end, each leaving an impression like a shadow burned onto a wall. There are contradictions in the central characters, especially Adeline. They are fragile but resilient, possessed but unwilling to surrender. The characters move through the story with a sense of urgency and necessity, their destinies tied to something larger than themselves and ungovernable. Adeline moves between her inherited role and her desire for autonomy, which I think will resonate with many readers. These contradictions are the source of this novel’s humanity.
Lee is grounded in supernatural elements. when the butterfly burns The real world history of oppression, especially the silenced and brutalized voices of colonized peoples. This prevents what happened from feeling unnecessary. They emerge naturally from this fantasy world threatened by the weight of historical trauma and gangs with supernatural powers. Burning a butterfly is not just a personal tragedy, but a collective tragedy. Perhaps a nod to the oppression and violence inflicted on a culture deemed disposable. Lee’s novel feels as much like a memorial work as it does a story of survival and evolution.
eventually, when the butterfly burns “” is not a book that provides easy catharsis or comfort. This is a novel about ghosts that haunt us, flames that no one can extinguish, and stories that must be remembered even if they hurt. Lee’s accomplishment in conveying this message lies in his ability to balance somber moments with moments of beauty, reminding us that even in the midst of devastation, there is an endurance of life that beats steadily like wings under a dark burning sky.
when the butterfly burns An intense and captivating sapphic fantasy perfect for fans of. jade city series, Sylvia Moreno-Garcia, RF Quan’s Poppy War trilogy, and more. thank you Tor Publishing Group Thank you for sending me a review copy. Admittedly, fantasy is not my forte, but I’m so glad I had the chance to read this. This book was published on October 21, 2025 and is available wherever you purchase books.
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